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Banquet Speech

On behalf of all the laureates assembled here today, I have the
great pleasure to express our thanks for your kind words and
beautiful songs, worthy of the great traditions of Swedish
student life.

As my colleague has described earlier, we
have experienced the events of today as a performance of a great
drama which symbolizes Alfred Nobel's vision of science and art
as the benefactors of mankind. It seems most appropriate at this
point in the play that the actors impersonating the students of
the world appear on the stage. As fellow actors, representing the
older generation, we should like to compliment you on your
splendid performance which so vividly has conveyed the exuberance
and idealism of youth.

Indeed, without the continual renewal based
on the spirit of youth, science and art would soon lose their
vitality. It is not only that those who have carried on the
battle grow old and must be replaced by new, but - even more -
the interplay between the different generations is the dynamic
process that carries the adventure forward. The attempt to
explain our understanding to those who come with fresh minds and
the experience of community with the creative force of youth is a
profound source of inspiration. The constant questioning of our
values and achievements is a challenge without which neither
science nor society can remain healthy.

We live in an age with revolutionary
changes, and the inadequacy of old frameworks for our thinking
has led to a highly developed disrespect for authority and
tradition. This even goes so far that the tradition for
disrespect can also be looked upon - disrespectfully.